It turns out the Jeep Wrangler won’t be the next great American icon to go all-aluminum after all, according to recent comments by Sergio Marchionne.
The CEO of FCA told reporters Tuesday, according to Automotive News, that the company has decided against an all-aluminum body for the next Wrangler, due for 2018. Some rumors floating around in the last year or so indicated an aluminum-intensive plan would be the best way to improve the Jeep’s fuel economy. But the costs were too great, Marchionne said.
“We’ve run the numbers and we’ve simulated mileage and the impact. Because of the difference in cost — not just of the material but the actual assembly process — I think we can do almost as well without doing it all-aluminum. I think we can get very close.”
Instead, Marchionne says the new Wrangler will use aluminum in places such as the doors, hood and tailgate. Doing that avoids a costly retrofit of the plant, too. Other changes are likely to include an 8-speed automatic in place of the current five-speed unit, the 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel from the Grand Cherokee and maybe even a hybrid variant. However, the solid axles front and rear are widely believed to return.
Modernity has come to the Wrangler in recent years in the form of a 21st century V6 and power windows, but the next-gen Wrangler has the unenviable task of being able to balance new fuel economy standards with the traditional off-road skill that makes it such a popular vehicle.
Best of luck, Jeep.
Photo Gallery
